Muromachi
Gunma · 室町Browse Gunma’s cultural heritage from the Muromachi period (1336 – 1573). Filter by type and keyword, with concise stories, maps, and travel tips.
The Kasa Sotōba in Ishihara, Shibukawa City, Gunma Prefecture, is a stone memorial tower erected in 1356 during the Nanbokuchō period. Carved from andesite and standing approximately 220 cm tall, it bears Sanskrit inscriptions of the Four Directional Buddhas and inscriptions linked to Ji-shū Buddhism, offering a rare glimpse into medieval devotional life. It was designated a nationally Important Cultural Property in 1953.
The Hachimangu-Inari Shrine Hall, a subordinate shrine within the precincts of Raiden Shrine in Itakura, Gunma, is the oldest extant wooden shrine building in Gunma Prefecture. Built in 1547 during the late Muromachi period, it features a rare two-bay (nikensha) hip-and-gable design—one of only seven such examples among Japan's nationally designated Important Cultural Properties—enshrining both Hachiman and Inari deities under one roof.
A Southern Song celadon vase of shimokabura form, a Japanese National Treasure with a smooth, crackle-free pale-blue glaze. Its kiln is still debated by scholars.